Wicked: For Good reviews round-up – Starring Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande 

"Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have changed cinema for the better"

"If this sequel to Wicked doesn’t get more Oscars, I’ll eat my witch’s hat"

"Jon M. Chu has done it again with Wicked: For Good, creating an epic piece of cinema that blends the battle of lonely good and banal evil with delightful musical numbers."

"Ariana Grande has made Glinda someone entirely her own, a remarkably sympathetic young woman trapped by maladaptive people-pleasing"

"It’s Cynthia Erivo’s movie, however. Her Elphaba is a gentle powerhouse, radiant and vulnerable as she fully inhabits her moss-green skin."

"Her villain arc is as frustratingly brief as the original play, but Erivo makes No Good Deed entirely her own sonically and thematically."

"... Marissa Bode’s Nessarose is heartbreaking even as her obsession with her munchkin boy imperils his literal heart. Thankfully, Chu eschews the original staging to have Nessarose walk again, giving his disabled actor the dignity of flight instead."

"Without being heavy-handed, Chu has transformed a fable about accepting difference into a call to action to protect one’s neighbours from cages and deportation."

"Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are magnificent in this extravagantly sumptuous sequel"

"Verdict: Extravagantly sumptuous"

"... the film is just as impressive as the first one, if not better. It is considerably darker, though, so that might explain the restraint."

"As Glinda, Grande in particular has some mighty emotional depths to plumb, which she does wonderfully."

"Like last year’s film, this one is extravagantly sumptuous on the eye. The sets and costumes are truly spectacular, and the animal exodus from Oz (where Morrible has stripped them of their power to speak) is superbly rendered."

"Above all, Erivo and Grande are magnificent, worthy of all the acclaim that will doubtless be dished upon them. They handle a very funny fight scene beautifully, and both deliver their songs with proper star quality."

"Cynthia Erivo sweeps the field in explosive second chunk of Oz prequel"

"Bringing her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, Erivo leads a fine cast in a zingily scored conclusion to the hit origin story"

"Director Jon M Chu pulls off quite a trick with this manageably proportioned second half to the epic musical prequel-myth inspired by The Wizard of Oz"

"... the focus narrows to the main players and their explosive romantic crises, essentially through two interlocking love triangles: Glinda the Good, Elphaba the Wicked and the Wizard – and Glinda, Elphaba and Prince Fiyero"

"Jeff Goldblum is excellent as the Wizard, who pretty much becomes the Darth Vader of Oz"

"... the superstar among equals is Cynthia Erivo, bringing her black-belt screen presence to the role of Elphaba, and revealing a new vulnerability and maturity."

"... the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow – all get, in their various ways, little origin-myth-type backstories like villains in the Marvel or DC Universes"

"But what a performance from Erivo; it is genuinely moving when the Prince has to convince Elphaba what we, the audience, have always known: that she is beautiful."

"Give Cynthia Erivo the Oscar now"

"The Wicked sequel is even more ambitious and emotional than the first film, carried by the haunted brilliance of the British actress"

"They’ve only gone and done it. The makers of this musical sequel have delivered a film that surpasses last year’s box-office smash in verve, ambition and emotional ache."

"The dramatic climax from the Garland movie is replayed in shadows cast on a wall and seen through the eyes of a hidden, terrified Glinda. Sacrilege to some, but it’s also inventive, rich and strangely moving"

"Elsewhere there are audacious touches and additions. The yellow brick road is depicted as a slavery-based project constructed by the orders of the evil, if underused, Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)."

"On the downside there are a handful of sluggish moments and tunes, including the soporific The Girl in the Bubble, which almost kills the propulsive mood."

"Still, Erivo is extraordinary as Elphaba... It’s down to her that a zingy, postmodern film of uncommon ideas has a captivating heart. Best actress Oscar?"

"The musical adaptation's second and final instalment isn't likely to win any sceptics over – but it's consistently enjoyable, and sees Ariana Grande, in particular, "really shine"."

"Wicked is what it is. But if you're fine with that, this latest instalment is more captivating than the last and enjoyable to watch throughout."

"For Good has more life-and-death drama and is even more of a musical, with nearly back-to-back singing-dancing set pieces. But most of all it leans even more fiercely into the friendship between the two women"

"The director, Jon M Chu, milks every tear-jerking moment – the camera swirls, the music swells! – but there is no denying the force of Erivo's powerful voice and vehement presence as Elphaba, Grande's perfectly light-handed and lyrical performance as Glinda, and the warm-hearted resonance of the saga."

"At times throughout, Chu closes in on Erivo and Grande's faces as they sing, and those moments are among the most effective. But there is also a lot of crowded, bustling choreography, sometimes too much."

"This film is as slick and shiny as Glinda's lip gloss, but it may also be just what its many fans want."

"Oz origin story darkens with witch hunts and mass delusion"

"Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return in a sequel that speaks to the US politics of today — even if the story is two decades old"

"You may come to the second half, Wicked: For Good, expecting joy. You will be invited to stay for poisonous grudges and the corruptions of power. These are dark days in Oz. (Ear plugs remain advisable.)"

"However huge the scale, the first movie was really a frolicky college comedy. This one is a harder task."

"... Chu and writers Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman now expand and elaborate. The mood is gloomier, the structure trickier."

"The state of the world saves the day. Something is rotten in Oz. Exposing it gives the movie a centre. The script brims with apparent parallels to US politics."

"The tales we are told later are rarely how things really were, Chu suggests. It makes a neat takeaway for two bold, impressive movies, whose biggest achievement is to have (mostly) made their own complexity look simple."

"Not quite for great"

"Wicked: For Good forms the second half of the stage show... this is the weaker of the two: sadder, more understated, a lower percentage of bangers, and not going out on the literal high of ‘Defying Gravity’, as the first half/first film does. The odds are stacked against, again. The sceptics are out in force."

"The opening is fun and fast, establishing the literal witch hunt now dominating Oz. But it quickly becomes clear that the tone is different from that of the first film: less peppy, more glum."

"Compounding this tonal shift is the fact that the songs are simply not as good."

"Not quite over the rainbow, then, but just enough of its colours and candour to get by."

"The musical extravaganza runs out of (yellow brick) road in a sluggish part 2"

"Wicked stans, musical theatre diehards and anyone tempted to drop the word ‘goosify’ into conversation should add about 12 more stars to the above rating"

"Still here? Well, whisper it but the concluding part of John M Chu’s musical epic will be a disappointment for anyone who hasn’t sipped the green and pink Kool-Aid."

"Rather than an elegant dash for the finish line, Wicked: For Good magnifies the shortcomings of the stage musical’s underpowered second half with sluggish pacing, awkward scenes and storytelling that packs all the visceral punch of Glinda’s bubble machine."

"Where the first movie had urgency and a sense of peril to propel it forward – not to mention a host of bona-fide bangers – part two is more of a wheelspin downhill."

"Part of the problem is the flatness of the world, the lack of any texture or detail given to the Ozians who have been taught to hate Elphaba."

"Still, while the songbook is depleted, Cynthia Erivo and Ariane Grande’s lungs are in full effect."

"There’s no magic in this aimless slog of a sequel"

"Cynthia Erivo scores, but Ariana Grande less so – and director Jon M Chu still hasn’t figured out how to properly light any of this"

"If your complaint about last year’s Wicked was that it was so oddly lit that you could barely see what was going on, then fear not – in Wicked: For Good, you won’t mind so much, because there’s so little to look at."

"The back half of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s musical... was always a bit of a slog. And Jon M Chu’s direction, even with all that budget and talent at hand, fails to find a satisfactory fix."

"For Good has little sense of movement, literally or emotionally – no profound revelations, no wonder or spectacle."

"Schwartz’s new song for Elphaba, “No Place Like Home”, is certainly effective in the blunt force of its sincerity – Erivo handles its emotions beautifully "

"... Wicked insists that every element of The Wizard of Oz has to be explained and demystified. There’s no room for magic there, nor in Chu’s direction"

"Ariana Grande is painfully wooden in Wicked’s irritating sequel"

"A second instalment of the Oz origin movie is bloated and boring despite new songs for both Elphaba and Glinda"

"... Universal’s decision to split their screen adaptation in two always meant that even in a best-case scenario, part two was going to be a bit stingy and thin. While the end result isn’t quite the worst-case scenario some of us were dreading, it’s still a deeply annoying one."

"There’s plenty of double-crossing to get through before Dorothy’s arrival... But it doesn’t amount to two hours of story – the stage show clips through the same plot in around half the time – and the padding is as obvious as it is exhausting."

"Grande, in particular, often seems to be trying to walk through her scenes as slowly as possible: as a performer she has a range of four octaves and around 1.6 emotions"

"Erivo is a little better – you certainly buy her inner torment – but the pair’s strained friendship rings false, and what should be piercing, impassioned moments are by turns frivolous and sappy."

"What makes it so frustrating is that director Jon M Chu is an established musicals master; his In the Heights is a modern classic of the form. But the corporate stretch-it-out-and-wring-it-dry approach here has been deadening. Call the whole benighted enterprise Wicked: For Ill."

" Cynthia Erivo Remains Stellar, but a Radiant Ariana Grande Owns the Continuation of Jon M. Chu’s Musical Marathon"

"Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Ethan Slater also return to complete the backstory of witchy sisterhood, which converges with events in 'The Wizard of Oz.'"

"Sure, all but one of the show’s most memorable songs are in the first act, but the investment in character, story and sumptuous design more than compensates in Wicked: For Good, which again shows that casting stellar vocal talents Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande was a masterstroke."

"Make no mistake, Erivo remains a powerhouse, with pipes that shake the heavens and a wellspring of unforced emotional intensity that never runs dry."

"But Grande’s conceited blonde bubblehead gains in stature here as Glinda assumes statesmanlike responsibility to spread goodness in Oz, while experiencing crushing romantic disappointment that humbles her and deflates her vanity."

"Bailey brings new gravitas and honor to Fiyero, downplaying the character’s formerly hedonistic side"

"As in the first movie, the attention to eye-popping detail in Nathan Crowley’s spectacular production design and Paul Tazewell’s wildly imaginative costumes is key to this disarming confection’s pleasures"

"Glinda’s song provides intimate access in a moment of personal crisis... Grande floods it with so much feeling that it humanizes and enriches the character and, by extension, the whole movie."

"Between Broom Flights and Witch Fights, It’s Ariana Grande’s Time to Shine in Spectacular Return to Oz"

"The thrillifying follow-up to last year’s incomplete musical hit fixes flaws in the Broadway show’s second act, elevating Cynthia Erivo, while sharpening its critique of those who lead by deception."

"Oz has never felt more great and powerful than it does in “Wicked: For Good.” Where the first entry in director Jon M. Chu’s exuberant two-parter succeeded in wowing audiences last fall, its more familiar follow-up delivers what we might call the “whew factor,” as in: Thank goodness, he didn’t blow it."

"Instead, “Wicked” focuses on the J.K. Rowling-worthy feud between witches and wizards, whose relative goodness and badness is constantly in flux."

"... “Wicked” even more acutely critiques real-world politics, presenting its Wizard as a “wise old carnie” who’s fooled his followers with so much “blarney,” they’re too brainwashed to believe when shown the truth."

"Emotionally speaking, the movie’s most touching themes involve the durability of friendship (nothing like dropping a house on one’s sister to test such a bond) and the virtues of change."

"The emotions are real; everything else is movie magic, representing where we now stand — at the apex of artificiality — for better or worse."

"Jon M. Chu’s Part 2 Of Broadway Musical Screen Incarnation Flies Even Higher Than The First"

"This would be a tough act to follow under any circumstance, but with Wicked: For Good we are in wickedly good hands."

"Although real-life politics can be read into much of this film (think of the animals as immigrants being tossed aside without reason), Wicked: For Good lets it all simmer without pounding the message home."

"It has something to say, and it says it effectively. Mostly it is just a wicked good time."

"What can we say about the performances that hasn’t already been said? Both Erivo and Grande could not be better, and in fact Grande really gets a chance to shine here and runs away with the picture whenever she is on screen. Erivo’s Elphaba remains the juiciest role and she defines it with the mortality only movies can bring."

"The visual effects are first rate. So is this whole splendidly realized and cinematic musical adaptation, which if you add up the running times of both films comes in just two minutes shy of five (!) hours. To be honest, I wanted more."